Comprehensive Guide to Spanish History: Key Terms and Concepts

Posted on Oct 18, 2024 in Latin

Aula Regia

Advisory body formed by officials, aristocrats, and clerics.

Alan

People originally from Turkestan whose empire in the Caspian Sea region was destroyed by the Huns in 375.

Arte Hispano (Hispano-Islamic Art)

Islamic art developed in Al-Andalus between the 8th and 15th centuries. It includes architecture like mosques (the Mosque of Cordoba and the Alhambra), palaces, and citadels.

Romanesque Art

Artistic style prevalent in Europe during the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries. It blended Roman and Christian art to create a specific language.

Mudejar Art

Artistic style developed in the Christian kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula between the 12th and 16th centuries. It incorporated influences and elements of Hispano-Muslim style, representing a fusion of Christian and Muslim artistic trends.

Gothic Art

Style developed in Western Europe during the late Middle Ages, from the mid-12th century to the introduction of the Renaissance. Originating in northern France, it spread throughout the West.

Agnamonteses

Faction that supported John II in the Navarrese Civil War.

Almohad

North African empire that intervened in Al-Andalus to halt the Christian advance.

Aljubarrota

Battle in which Portugal definitively gained independence from Castile.

Almogávares

Mercenaries who occupied Athens for Aragon.

Antisemitism

Term that refers to prejudice and hostility toward Jewish people.

Amalgam

Alloy of mercury, generally liquid or semi-liquid, used to refine the silver obtained in America.

Siege of Numancia

Episode of resistance of the indigenous peoples (Celtiberians) to the Roman conquest.

Astures

Celtic tribe settled in an ancient region of Spain.

Almoravids

Muslim dynasty (monk-soldiers) from North Africa.

Almohades

Religious reaction to the Almoravids from North Africa. They originated in the Maghreb and helped to stop the advance of the Christians.

Horseshoe Arch

Arch whose curve extends above its starting points, ending at a rounded vertex.

Tiles

Molded azulejos or labor of ells.

Mozarabic Art

Architectural style developed in Spain during the 9th and 15th centuries by Christians under Moorish influence.

Mudejar Art

Artistic style developed in the Christian kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula. It incorporated influences and elements of Hispano-Muslim style.

Apse

Part of a temple, generally semicircular, that protrudes from the facade and houses the altar and sanctuary.

Alodia

Small plots of land owned by free peasants.

Bagaudae

Peasant revolts that contributed to the decline of the economy and urban life.

Battle of Toro

Took place in Zamora, Spain, on March 1, 1476, between the troops of the Catholic Monarchs and Alfonso V of Portugal. The victory of the Catholic Monarchs was a key moment in the War of the Castilian Succession.

Battle of Covadonga

Battle in which Pelayo defeated the Muslims and created the Kingdom of Asturias.

Battle of Vouillé

In 507, the Frankish army, led by Clovis I, clashed with the Visigothic army near Poitiers. The Franks were victorious.

Battle of Muret

In 1213, the Crown of Aragon faced the King of France to maintain control of Provence and Occitania. Aragon lost the battle and its domains in southern France.

Bichas

Zoomorphic statues made by the Iberians, usually from basalt.

Trivial

Privileged social group composed of individuals descended from Arabs who appropriated the oldest territorial properties.

Berber

Muslims from North Africa.

Battle of Otumba

In 1520, Cortés defeated the Aztecs and claimed the territory as New Spain.

Busca and Biga

Urban groups in Barcelona that fought for power during the Catalan Civil War. The Busca represented merchants, while the Biga represented artisans and the civic elite.

Beaumonteses

Faction that supported Charles of Viana against John II in the Navarrese Civil War of 1447.

Settlers

Smallholders who, due to the crisis, were forced to surrender their land to a more powerful owner and continue farming in exchange for part of the harvest.

Cardium Pottery

Type of ceramics characterized by decoration made with mollusk shells.

Councils of Toledo

Ecclesiastical assemblies with political and legal influence that played a major role in the Visigothic kingdom.

Western Schism

Separation between the Pope in Rome and the Pope in Avignon.

Caliphate of Cordoba

Period of Andalusian splendor, reaching its peak under Almanzor.

Champs de ballots

Burial grounds where urns containing cremated ashes were placed.

Settlement of the Antilles

Under the control of the Spanish monarchy, the Antilles yielded fewer riches than expected, with a sparse population and unfavorable weather.

Corregidor

Royal official who represented the Crown at the municipal level. Their functions included representing the Crown locally, managing the development of municipalities, chairing town councils, and validating their decisions.

Council of One Hundred

Medieval government institution in Barcelona, established in the 13th century and lasting until the 18th century. Its name came from its 100 members.

Council of the Mesta

Established in 1273 by Alfonso X, it united the shepherds of Castile and Leon into a national association, granting them privileges such as exemption from military service, the right to testify in trials, and grazing rights.

Creole

Person born in America to Spanish parents.

Curia

Council that governed cities, chosen by the citizens.

Celtiberian

Hispanic people who lived in the Iberian Peninsula in pre-Roman times.

Dinar

Ancient gold coin used in several Islamic countries, including the Ottoman Empire. Minted from the early 7th century, it was widely imitated.

Cantabri

Celtic tribe from pre-Roman Spain that inhabited the north of the peninsula.

Crown of Aragon

Kingdom formed by the union of the Kingdom of Aragon and the Catalan counties in 1137 through the marriage of Petronilla, heiress to the Kingdom of Aragon, and Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona. It controlled territories on both sides of the Pyrenees.

Crossing

Space where the nave and transept of a church intersect.

Council of One Hundred

Medieval government institution in Barcelona (13th-18th centuries). Its name derived from the number of its members.

Camino de Santiago

Pilgrimage route across Spain and Europe to Santiago de Compostela.

Caliphate of Cordoba

Period of maximum splendor in Al-Andalus.

Subsistence Crisis

Years of bad harvests that led to high mortality due to food shortages.

Cardium Pottery

Characterized by its decoration with mollusk shells.

Dirham

Ancient silver coin used in various Islamic regions, including Al-Andalus. In the 10th century, it was worth one-tenth of a gold dinar.

Trastámara Dynasty

Originating in Castile, it later spread to Aragon. It began with Henry II in 1369, who was proclaimed king after winning the civil war. He was forced to grant privileges to the nobility.

Roman Law

Legal system that governed Roman citizens and the conquered territories.

Ladies

Female Iberian sculptures, depicting women dressed in the fashion of Iberian society.

Henry II

Stepbrother of Peter I “the Cruel,” he was crowned king after the civil war.

Dependent Emirate

Ruled by a wali in an atmosphere of constant tension, until the establishment of the Umayyad dynasty by Abd al-Rahman I.

Independent Emirate

Abd al-Rahman II was strong enough to declare religious independence.

Encomienda

System in which an indigenous person was entrusted to a Spaniard in exchange for protection and was obliged to pay tributes and labor. Widespread in Mexico and Peru.

Henry IV of Castile

Known as Henry the Impotent. In 1455, he remarried Joan of Portugal. Their daughter, Joanna la Beltraneja, was accused of being illegitimate. Henry IV sought to restore peace between the monarchy and the nobility.

Emporion

Greek colony of great commercial importance.

Edict of Caracalla

Law that granted Roman citizenship to all free inhabitants of the empire.